Domestic Partnership Bill Dies In House [AUDIO]

The Wyoming House has shot down a bill that would have allowed same-sex couples to create domestic partnerships carrying most of the legal rights of conventional marriage. Representative Ruth Ann Petroff (HD-16) said the bill would grant same-sex couples as well as other citizens a way to share their property and make health care decisions for each other.

this contract gives people the same rights, duties and privileges typically reserved for family...

Representative Nathan Winters (HD-28) warned that the bill threatened to open the state to legal action seeking to force it to approve same-sex marriage.

while we have been assured that this is no first step, we would be defining a new second tier marriage status......

The House voted 35-to-24 against the bill. It marked the first time that pro-gay legislation reached a full floor debate in the state Legislature. A separate bill cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that would outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. That bill now heads to the full Senate.